1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to sound-insulating floor structures, sound-insulating floor members and a method for constructing said sound-insulating floor structures. Particularly, the invention relates to sound-insulating floor structures for reducing heavy floor impact sounds.
2. Background Art
Many floors have been formerly used as architectural floors, including direct bond type floors in which a sound-insulating floor is directly bonded to a floor base, floors in which a finish floor material is provided on a reinforcement member as a base member, floors in which a underfloor member is provided on floor beams and then a finish floor material is provided thereon, double floors in which a floor base member is provided on support legs and then a finish floor material is placed thereon, etc. These floors reach almost satisfactory levels for impact sounds in the case of light-weight floors. However, although improvements have been largely demanded for heavy floor impact sounds of the architectures, there have been no good improving method of reducing such sounds for a long time. Such impact sounds have been coped with by imparting rigidity upon floors or beams and increasing the thickness of floor bases in the case of the architectures having rigid structures such as RC structures only.
However, in the case of soft structures such as residential housings and low-rise collective housings, the above countermeasure results in substantially too high costs, so that it is impossible to increase rigidity of columns and beams and enhance the rigidity and the weight of the floor base. Therefore, a countermeasure has been awaited.
The present invention is aimed at obtaining a floor sound-insulating floor structure, which can largely reduce heavy floor sounds. Further, the invention is also aimed at sound-insulating floor members which can remarkably reduce heavy floor impact sounds and have excellent workability.
The present invention relates to a sound-insulating floor structure comprising a floor base, a plurality of sound-insulating floor members arranged on the floor base, and an underfloor member placed on the sound-insulating floor members, each of said sound-insulating floor members comprising a plurality of impact-absorbing members and a support member supporting said impact-absorbing members, said impact-absorbing members being provided on at least one of upper and lower faces of the support member, and each of said sound-insulating floor members being fixed to the floor base or the underfloor member to support the underfloor member. The invention also relates to the sound-insulating floor members to be used in the sound-insulating floor structure, and a method for constructing the sound-insulating floor structure.
The present inventors solved the problems by a simple construction in which the sound-insulating floor members are arranged on the floor base, and the underfloor member is placed thereon.
Further, the present inventors noted the cost reduction, which enables wide propagation from the standpoint of the construction members and the number of construction steps.
The inventors noted that the sound-insulating floor structure can be adjusted to such a height level that makes the underfloor height as low as possible and on the other hand provides a piping space.
Having noted the above points, the present inventors conducted experiments on the sound-insulating floor structure in detail.
As a result, the inventors obtained the knowledge that a sound-insulating floor members in which a plurality of impact-absorbing members are arranged on at least one face of a support member is placed on a floor base, and an underfloor member is placed on the sound-insulating floor members, thereby reducing heavy floor impact sounds. Then, the inventors further repeated experiments, and discovered that the heavy floor impact sounds are surprisingly further reduced when the impact-absorbing members are supported by slender support members each having a length equivalent to a long or short side of the floor base or the underfloor member, and the supporting member is fixed to the underfloor member with the impact-absorbing members having a weight being about xc2xd times as much as that of the sound-insulating floor members. The present inventors reached the present invention based on the above discovery.
That is, the present invention relates to a sound-insulating floor structure comprising a floor base, a plurality of sound-insulating floor members arranged on the floor base, and an underfloor member placed on the sound-insulating floor members, each of said sound-insulating floor members comprising a plurality of impact-absorbing members and a support member supporting said impact-absorbing members, said impact-absorbing members being provided on at least one of upper and lower faces of the support member, and said sound-insulating floor member being fixed to the floor base or the underfloor member to support the underfloor member. The invention also relates to the sound-insulating floor members to be used in the sound-insulating floor structure, and a method for constructing the sound-insulating floor structure.
1. The provision of the supporting member on at least one face of the plural impact-absorbing members constitutes the sound-insulating floor member, which is provided between the floor base and the underfloor member. Thereby, the sound performance can be conspicuously enhanced.
2. When the impact-absorbing members are supported by slender support members each having a length equivalent to a long or short side of the floor base or the underfloor member, the sound performance can be remarkably improved.
3. When portions where the supporting member or the impact-absorbing members contact the underfloor member or portions where the supporting member or the impact-absorbing members contact the floor base are to be subjected to fixing with pressure-sensitive adhesive, the pressure-sensitive adhesive or the like is coated on those portions, and this adhesive-coated portions are protected by applying release papers thereto. In this case, a plurality of the impact-absorbing members can be simultaneously fixed merely by press fitting them after the release papers are removed.
Further, according to the present invention,
4. If the heavy floor impact sound can be kept to LH-55, a vibration control/sound-insulating floor member and other planar underfloor member can be omitted, which can reduce the cost of materials and the number of working steps.
5. The height of the underfloor can be adjusted by imparting vibration controllability upon the support member and/or increasing the thickness thereof, which is effective for improving the sound performance and lessens the displacement relative to the floor load.
According to the present invention, the provision of the sound-insulating floor members including the supporting members which supports the plural impact-absorbing members between the floor base or the underfloor member not only remarkably reduces the heavy floor impact sounds of the sound-insulating floor structure but also improves construction workability of the sound-insulating floor structure.
The present invention can be widely applied to residential houses, low-rise collective housings, high-rise collective housings, etc. The present invention can not only favorably employed in the residential housings, but also in case that upstairs heavy floor impact sounds are not to be transmitted or that the underfloor space is to be used as a space for piping, wiring or the like.
Embodiments of the present invention will be explained.
In the following, constructing members of the present invention will be explained, and functions of the invention will be successively explained, too.
(1) Sound-insulating Floor Member
The sound-insulating floor member in the present invention comprises a plurality of the impact-absorbing members and the support member supporting these impact-absorbing members. Each impact-absorbing member is provided on at least one of the upper and lower faces of the support member. A plurality of such sound-insulating floor members are used, and each fixed to the floor base or the underfloor member, thereby supporting the underfloor member.
When the sound-insulating floor members are to be fixed to the floor base or the underfloor member, use of the pressure-sensitive adhesive can conspicuously improve constructing workability.
Such a pressure-sensitive adhesive is coated or applied onto the support members or the impact-absorbing members for fixedly bonding intended to be bonded and fixed onto the floor base or the underfloor member.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive may be made of a rubber similar to that of the impact-absorbing member. In particular, if the floor base has a porous surface as in ALC or certain non-landed portions as in RC, it is necessary to adjust the thickness or the plastic deformation degree of the adhesive.
In such an adjustment, any measure needs to be considered to ensure the thickness for a long time period by utilizing a vulcanized gel component of reclaimed rubber, by utilizing a partially vulcanized rubber, or by laminating the adhesive upon a foam or fibers or by utilizing them in a combination. The thickness is ordinarily preferably set at a range of 0.5 to 3 mm.
Since a low molecular weight oil or the like in a softener of the pressure-sensitive adhesive is likely to move into the underfloor member or the floor base. A softener or plasticizer having a relatively high molecular weight is preferably used in consideration of compatibility rubber or polymer.
(1xe2x80x941) Support Member
The support member in the present invention supports a plurality of the impact-absorbing members as explained later, and serves to set the space between the floor base and the underfloor member at an arbitrary height.
When the support member is in the form of bars, the length of the bars may be almost identical with that of a long side or short side of the floor base or the underfloor member. A pressure-sensitive adhesive may be provided thereon. Such may be alternatively fixed to the floor base and the underfloor members. Thereby, the sound performance and the construction speed are improved beyond expectation.
As the material for the supporting member, use may be singly or in combination made of wood materials such as wood, plywood laminate, wood-wool cement board, laminated wood, particle board and hard board, strips, boards, folded plates and cylindrical members of metal or alloy strips such as iron, aluminum, brass and stainless steel, inorganic materials such as cements, gypsum, ALC, pipe-shaped extruded cement glass, and polymers such as rubber, plastics, fibers and papers.
As the support member, the boards or strips may be used to reduce the cost as much as possible. The support member having vibration controllability or rigidity is preferred. Thus, foamed polymers, rubber solid or plastic solid or products obtained by crushing a foam and solidifying the crushed pieces with a binder, products obtained by surrounding their opposite sides or peripheral sides with laminated boards, cardboards or plastic cardboards to increase the rigidity, folded plates of slender planar metal thin plate strips bent in width direction, and cylindrical products of such as metals, cement, plastics and papers are preferred.
When the support member comprises the folded plates or cylindrical members, bending rigidity of the support member itself increases, and a compression deformation amount of the floor can be reduced. Further, the vibration-controlling, sound-insulating floor members and other planar members constituting the underfloor member can be reduced. In addition, since the original sound performance is improved, the sound performance is enhanced.
In particular, when the support member comprises metallic folded plates each having a C-letter or H-letter or T-letter section or the like or cylindrical support members are used, rigidity becomes high for the thickness.
However, when the metallic folded members, cylindrical members or the like are used as the support members, they may be impact sound-generating sources. They can be prevented from becoming impact sound-generating source when at least one material selected from the group consisting of a foamed material, a fibrous material, powder, binder-solidified powdery material or a damping material is charged inside hollow portions between the folded plates or inside the cylindrical members.
The support members in the present invention can be prevented from becoming sound-generating sources when non-restraint type vibration controllability is imparted by bonding the pressure-sensitive adhesive to them or when restraint type controllability is imparted by attaching a thin metal or rigid polymer sheet or film on one faces of the pressure-sensitive adhesive materials.
Further, in order to accelerate vibration attenuation of the underfloor member or the support members upon receipt of impacts by imparting vibration controllability upon the support members as mentioned above, the support members having restraint type vibration controllability may be formed by combining plural sets of the support members and the viscoelastic material when the support members are in the form of strips, boards, bars or the like.
The folded metal planar member and the cylindrical member need to be prevented from becoming sound-generating sources and increase vibration control-attenuating property through being subjected to the vibration-controlling treatment as mentioned above.
As in the impact-absorbing member used in the present invention, vibration-controlling property and adhesion of the viscoelastic material which imparts restraint type vibration-controlling property to such support members may be adjusted by incorporating, if necessary, an anti-aging agent, a bituminous material, a wax, a high specific gravity filler, a coupling agent, a crosslinking agent, etc. into a main component composed of a polymer component selected from various rubber materials or rubber-like materials and thermoplastic materials singly or in a combined use and a softener, an adhesion-imparting resin, a filler, etc. appropriately added.
Such a viscoelastic material may be used as a non-restraint type vibration-controlling material bonded to a part or an entire part of the folded planar support member or the cylindrical support member. Alternatively, vibration can be controlled by bonding it to a part of or an entire part of the support member as a restraint type vibration-controlling material in the state that a metallic foil or a rigid plastic film is bonded to one side of the viscoelastic material or the bent inner space.
When the viscoelastic material is used as the non-restraint vibration-controlling material at that time, it may be effective when its thickness is equal to or more than that of the support member. The restraint type vibration-controlling member may be effective when the viscoelastic material is relatively thin. Particularly, the effect can be achieved even in a thin thickness of around dozens microns by selecting the viscoelastic material or a restraint material.
The support material is not particularly limited to any length, but construction workability and planar vibration-preventing effect can be enhanced by making the length of the support member nearly equal to that of the long side or short side of the floor base or a planar member arranged in the lowermost layer of the underfloor member.
(1-2) Impact-absorbing Material
A plurality of the impact-absorbing members in the present invention are arranged on either upper or lower face of the support member at an arbitrary interval.
As such impact-imparting members, solid such as rubber or plastic, a unitary foam or a composite foam, a binder-fixed product of crushed rubber or plastic solid or foamed product, rubber into which gas, liquid or powder of foamed body, fibers, clay, rubber-plastic, inorganic metal is sealed, or a metal spring may be recited.
The impact-absorbing member can possess at least one spring characteristics selected from those of a linear spring, a degressive spring, progressive spring and a stationary load spring.
When the viscoelastic material is used as the impact-absorbing member, vibration-controlling property can be imparted upon absorption of vibration. Particularly, when a highly elastic impact-absorbing member such as the metal spring is used, the impact-absorbing effect can be conspicuously enhanced and surging of the floor can be prevented, when used in combination.
The impact-absorbing member is required to fully withstand the compression load for a long time period and to have a high impact-absorbing effect and a good walking feeling.
As the material for the impact-absorbing member, mention may be made of rubbers and various reclaimed rubbers including natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, butyl rubber, urethane rubber, polysulfide rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, chlorinated polyethylene, epichlorohydrine rubber, acryl rubber, polynorbornene rubber, silicone rubber and fluorinated rubber, by way of example.
In the present invention, a rubbery viscoelastic material may be used. As such a rubbery viscoelastic material, a rubbery-like material may be favorably used. As such a rubbery-like material, a polystyrene-based thermoplastic elastomer (hereinafter referred to as TPE) in which a hard segment is styrene and a soft segment is polybutadiene, polyisoprene or hydrogenated polybutadiene, a polyolefin TPE in which a hard segment is polyethylene or polypropylene and a soft segment is ethylene propylene copolymer rubber, a chlorinated polyvinyl chloride TPE in which both hard and soft segments are polyvinyl chloride, a polyester-based TPE in which a hard segment is polyurethane resin and a soft segment is polyether, a polyamide-based TPE in which a hard segment is a polyamide and a soft segment is polyether or polyester, TPE in which a hard segment is syndiotactic-1,2-butadiene and a soft segment is atactic-1,2-butadiene and, a rubber obtained by curing a polymer having two or more terminal reactive groups per molecule in the main skeleton as a room temperature reactive liquid rubber, for example, polybutadiene, chloroprene, isoprene, styrene butadiene, or acrylonitrile butadiene together with a compound having reactivity with the above terminal reactive groups. The present invention widely calls the above materials xe2x80x9crubbersxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9crubber-like materialsxe2x80x9d.
The rubber-like material can improve dynamic characteristics of rubber and possess advantageous cost performance, when used in combination with rubber powder or plastic powder.
In the present invention, the impact-absorbing member may be made of at least one kind of rubbers selected from the group consisting of a gas-sealed rubber, fiber-sealed rubber, foam-sealed rubber, clay-sealed rubber and liquid-sealed rubber. The rubber in which gas, fibers, foam, powder, clay, liquid or the like is sealed has properties similar to those of the pneumatic spring or liquid-sealed spring, and reduces the characteristic frequency.
Such a gas- or liquid-sealed rubber may be formed such that a closed air chamber is formed with a film, and surrounded with a room temperature-reactive liquid rubber. Similarly, the fibers, foam, clay or viscous material may be coated and surrounded with the room temperature-reactive liquid rubber.
The impact-absorbing member in the present invention enhances its effect by making the repulsion elasticity extremely small. For this purpose, polynorbornene rubber, polyisobutylene rubber, butyl rubber, EPT or the like is preferably used singly or in combination.
A plastic elastic material may be used as the impact-absorbing member in the present invention. Such plastic elastic materials may be broadly classified into thermoplastic resins, thermosetting resins and engineering resins.
As the thermoplastic resin, mention may be made of polyethylene, polypropylene, poly-4-methylpentene, ionomer, vinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, mixture (ABS resin) of polybutadiene to acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, methacryl resin, polyvinyl alcohol, vinyl ethylene acetate copolymer, cellulose acetate plastic, saturated polyester resin, polyvinyl butylate resin, polyvinyl formal resin, etc., by way of example.
As the thermosetting resin, mention may be made of phenol resin, urea-melamine resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, unsaturated polyester resin, silicone resin, etc., by way of example.
As the engineering resin, mention may be made of polyamide resin, polyacetal resin, polycarbonate resin, polyphenylene ether, polytetrafluoro-ethylene, polysulfone, polyether imide, polyether sulfone, polyether ketone, polyamideimide, polyimide, etc., by way of example.
As the metal spring, mention may be made of coil spring, plate spring, leaf spring, springs in which spring characteristic is utilized in the state that rubber or plastics is partially provided on upper and lower side of a spring steel, etc., by way of example.
The impact-absorbing members may have different impact-absorbing powers depending upon the shape, height, hardness, etc., even through the same material is used. The used number or the combination of the impact-absorbing members may be determined under consideration of the displacement and impact-absorbing characteristics.
For example, the heavy floor impact sounds may be further reduced by the construction that the impact-absorbing members comprises higher impact-absorbing members and lower impact-absorbing members, the higher impact-absorbing members support the underfloor member, spaces are formed between the lower impact-absorbing members and the underfloor member, the support members or the floor base, and when the underfloor member displaces upon receipt of the impact, the lower impact-absorbing members contact the underfloor member, the support members or the floor base.
Although satisfactory effects can be exhibited by only one kind of the impact-absorbing members, the impact-absorbing effect and the displacement amount are more easily balanced when two or more kinds in combination of the impact-absorbing members are used preferably such that each of the impact-absorbing members has at least one spring characteristic selected from the group consisting of linear spring characteristic, degressive spring characteristic, progressive spring characteristic and stationary load spring characteristic, and at least some impact-absorbing member(s) has (have) a different spring characteristic from that of other.
The above-mentioned impact-absorbing members may be attached to the support members, the floor material or the floor base with adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive. In the case of the metal spring, it may be that the spring is attached to a base seat and the base seat is fitted to the support member with screws or adhesive. Further, in case of the metal spring, a conical coil spring, which hardly abuts a bottom thereof upon receipt of impacts, is preferred from the standpoint of preventing aqueak of the metal and contact sounds between the floor base. When foam or fibers are filled in the spring, squeak between spring turns may be prevented. When a plastic cap is provided at a top portion of the spring, contact sounds between the floor material or the floor base can be prevented.
(2) Floor Base
The floor base in the present invention is a floor body itself extended over beams. The support members to which the impact-absorbing members are attached are located above the floor base and support the floor material such as the underfloor member.
As the floor base, mention may be made of RC floor bases, hollow cement floor bases, ALC floor bases, wood floor panels, etc., by way of example. The present invention may be applied to all floor bases, so long as they are floor bases of houses and buildings.
The heavy floor impact sounds, which differ depending upon the floor bases, can be improved by 2 or 3 ranks as compared with the original floor base performance by employing the sound-insulating floor structure according to the present invention.
(3) Underfloor Member
On the underfloor member in the present invention is provided a finish floor material or the like. The underfloor member influences the floor-walking feeling, floor load-displacement amount, and sound performance.
The underfloor member should have possess a weight and rigidity through laminating a laminate plate, a particle board, gypsum, a sound-insulating and vibration-controlling matt, etc.
The rigidity of the underfloor member may be increased not only by screws on laminating but also by bonding with adhesive. It is necessary to laminate planar members constituting the underfloor member on laminating such that the planar members are laminated alternatively in long-side and short-side directions. By so doing, seams between lower planar members are covered with upper planar members, so that the strength of the floor can be made almost uniformly, and no different waling feeling occurs.
In the present invention, when the slender support members are used, the vibration of the planar members can be effectively suppressed, if the impact-absorbing members are supported by the support members having almost the same length as that of the long side of the planar member at the lowermost layer of the underfloor member.
Further, according to the present invention, the height of the under-floor space can be increased by the support members, if a room is required for wiring or the like in the underfloor space.
In this case, when the rigidity of the support members is increased, the displacement of the underfloor space can be reduced, the flow of air upon impact on the floor can be decreased, and the floor structure is less susceptible to adverse effects of the floor impact sounds.
Therefore, when the impact-absorbing members are fixed in the state that the length of the support members is almost equal to that of the long or short side of the underfloor member, the rigidity of the underfloor member increases and the impact sounds are reduced with increase in rigidity of the support members. Therefore, the number of laminated underfloor members can be reduced.
The thicker the lowermost layer of the underfloor member, the less the warped amount due to the impact and the floor load, which results in reduction in the number of the laminated plates.
A finish floor material may be placed on the underfloor member. As the finish floor material, any material as ordinarily used may be employed.
The sound-insulating floor structure according to the present invention has highly improving effect upon not only the heavy floor impact sounds but also the light floor impact sounds, so that a sound-insulating floor for reducing the light floor impact sounds needs not be used because it results in increased cost only.
The sound-insulating floor structure according to the present invention will be explained, mainly directed to the construction workability.
The present invention can be applied to the RC floor base which is continued as well as the ALC and the wood floor panel in which floor bases are separated one by one.
In the present invention, when the sound-insulating floor members in which plural impact-absorbing members are provided at at least one face of the support members are used, the sound-insulating members may be independently arranged at an arbitrary interval on the floor and the underfloor member is placed on the sound-insulating floor members such that seams may not be overlapped with one another. In case that the support members are slender and the floor base or the underfloor member is formed by combining a plurality of slender floor bases or a plurality of slender underfloor members in the same direction, the sound-insulating floor members may be arranged such that they may be orthogonal to the seams of the floor bases or the underfloor members.
According to this construction method, when the long side direction of the impact-absorbing member-provided support members is in conformity with that of the floor bases and 2 or 3 impact-absorbing member-provided support members are arranged for one floor base, constructing workability is high in that arrangement may be made visually for each floor base.
The underfloor member may be effectively formed above the floor base irrespective of the continuity of the floor bases from the standpoint of the constructing efficiency when the pressure-sensitive adhesive is provided on contact faces of the support members or the impact-absorbing members, long sides of two to three impact-absorbing member-attached support members are bonded to those of the underfloor member after protection release papers for the pressure-sensitive adhesive are removed, and the underfloor members are turned over.
So long as this method is used, the long sides of the support members and the underfloor member may be arranged orthogonal the long side direction of the floor base, which is an arrangement more advantageous for the displacement of the floor load. Further, as mentioned above, the method for fixing the floor base or the underfloor member with the pressure-sensitive adhesive is easier than a method for fixing the members to the floor base with the screws.
Furthermore, if the support members with the impact-absorbing members are slender in a length equal to or slightly shorter than that of the long side of the floor base or the underfloor member, two or three support members are used for one floor base or underfloor member. Therefore, arrangement can be easily visually effected, so that vertical and longitudinal marking may be omitted. Further, two or three support members are arranged, which enables very rapid construction.
Moreover, since the method using the slender support members in the present invention affords a simple arrangement, it has a merit with no constructing mistake.